If the publishing world has been blase where online is concerned, the CV
of 39-year-old Robert Horler shows he's one of the far-sighted ones.
Leaving the secure world of newspapers to sell a new idea to the media
trade - the ISP - required every ounce of tenacity and creativity he
possessed.

Horler began his media career at Times Newspapers and went on to work
for the UK's first ISP, LineOne, and, later, FT.com and EmapOnline. He
joined Carat in 2000, became the managing director in 2002 and is the
managing director and founder of Diffiniti, the largest standalone
online planning and buying agency in the UK.

He is an advocate for embracing technology more quickly to transform
businesses. But how to create the ideal ideas space? It is about small
teams, environment, passion and a dash of good timing. But the key for
this ideas person is that the compulsion to embrace new technology
should know no bounds.

- Tell us about your inspiration.

I am always inspired by anyone who has the courage and belief to start
their own business and/or bring a new idea to market. The internet
advertising industry is, by definition, full of those kind of people and
that makes it a fascinating environment to work in.

- How do you make your working environment work for you?

I am reasonably obsessive about my work environment. I struggle to
function and think clearly around clutter and mess. I always have a tidy
desk and everything in my office is filed away. I also manage my e-mail
inbox religiously. The idea of more than ten unopened e-mails sends me
into a bit of a panic. I never eat when I'm working due to an inability
to multi-task!

- How do you turn a good idea into a great one?

I think turning a good idea into a great one is usually a combination of
the following: environment, timing, passion (for the idea) and hard
work. I also think that many great ideas are often very simple. The
desire to complicate things, certainly in the online media environment,
never ceases to amaze me.

- How do you unstick an idea when it's stuck?

Get someone else involved who is more objective and/or leave it for a
few days and come back to it. I also believe in the adage "too many
cooks". The more people you involve, the longer it takes to solve a
problem and or make a decision.

- Give us a real example of how you came up with a good idea.

Probably the best example was the idea to launch a standalone digital
media agency within a network to complement rather than compete with
Carat/Vizeum. The idea came from spending a lot of time with a range of
different clients and the realisation that some (not all) clients had a
greater requirement for digital specialisation than others. That meant
we needed scaleable specialist businesses in our network. This blend has
helped us to gain a leadership position in digital for Aegis.

- Great ideas are often so risky that frequently they're hacked to
pieces. What's your advice for nurturing a gem and selling it to a
client?

Pick the right client, one who you genuinely believe is capable of
spotting a good idea and has always been willing to be challenged. If
they still won't buy your idea, then it's fair to say it's probably not
the gem you think it is!

- What are your creative trade secrets?

Erm ... probably that I don't do creative and never have, although I
don't think that's much of a secret.

- Tell us about a turning point in your career.

When I left Times Newspapers to work for LineOne, the UK's first ISP. It
had 15,000 registered users, no tracking, terrible creative, no
credibility and an audience of television buyers who had literally no
idea what you were talking about and refused to meet you so you could
explain. It taught me the importance of tenacity, the creative sell and
proper negotiation. It's a real sense of achievement to sell a new idea
to someone, especially when the user experience is poor. After that,
everything else seemed easier.

- Name the most inspiring person in your working life.

James Harris, the co-founder of Diffiniti. A true ideas person who, in
the eight years that I have worked with him, has been able to solve
every problem a client has thrown at us.

- You have 24 hours away from professional responsibilities and a brief
to re-energise yourself. What will you do?

Go snowboarding.

- What motivates you?

I see myself first and foremost as an entrepreneur. My main motivation
has been to launch a new business, making it a success (commercially)
and establishing a company that clients want to work with and that
people want to work for.

- What idea should we be taking more seriously?

That the traditional media model for publishers and agencies is a busted
flush. Technology has changed everything and we should all be embracing
it quicker to transform our businesses.

I keep reading articles (mainly in Campaign) where various media people
talk about the fact that search isn't really advertising and Google
isn't a media company. If that's true, it means the fastest-growing bit
of marketing spend isn't being spent on advertising and the company
taking most of that money out of the market isn't a media com-pany.
That's a pretty big clue as to where we are all heading. Probably time
to embrace it.

TAKE THE TEST

The Ideas People is drawn from major research conducted by The Economist
in 2007. It is built on essential truths about the world we live in and
The Economist's readership. One is that ideas, not products, are the
currency of the modern economy. Another is that Ideas People are the
stars of the 21st century. They produce and implement new thinking, they
influence others, they have stamina. They are turned on by new ideas and
opportunities. Are you an Ideas Person? Go to the quiz at
www.theideaspeople.economist.com and find out for yourself.